Cost-effective hydrogen breakthrough

A researcher at Ohio University has discovered how to produce hydrogen fuel inexpensively and has subsequently signed an agreement to license her technology, to a corporation that will commercialise the innovative breakthrough.

American Hydrogen Corporation has offices at the Ohio University Innovation Centre and the license agreement allows the company exclusive worldwide rights to commercialise the technology.

Gerardine Botte, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, has developed the ammonia catalytic electrolyzer technology. Efficiently converting ammonia into hydrogen, the technology is capable of producing inexpensive fuel and may prove an invaluable development as Botte explains, $quot;The beauty of this technology is that it can go so many places. It could drive a car here, but it could even be in a shuttle in a mission to Mars in the future.$quot;

In a modern society lurching towards a hydrogen economy, it was the technology's application in clean-energy fuel-cell generators that drew American Hydrogen to Botte's groundbreaking research, as explained at the official signing of the agreement.

$quot;We searched everywhere for a method to produce inexpensive hydrogen fuel. Dr. Botte's technology held the highest promise for knocking down the price of hydrogen to a rate that is competitive,$quot; said Frank Neukomm, chairman and CEO of American Security Resources.

The first application for Botte's research will be in fuel for a hydrogen generator that produces electricity for homes and offices.

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